I don't mind The Ramones comparison, really, though I have owned only their compilation and the "Road To Ruin" LP. I quite like them, though I can't claim to be any No. 1 fan. I recently watched the documentary film on them with some interest, however. And they were also influenced by 60s Nuggets-type of garage rock, so I think there's some common ground. It's only all the pathetic copycat bands The Ramones spawned that I could really live without. Especially all those neo-punk bores who still think it's '77 in '06.
For me punk was and is about the idea that you can do your thing even without being a virtuoso or having to practice solos in a cellar ten hours a day. The thing they usually sell these days as "punk" is another boring trad./purist/"authentic" sound that has never evolved in any way whatsoever -- "dadpunk". The Ramones we can both thank and blame for many things.
Just when you thought (and hoped) that you'd be compared to Iggy and the Stooges... But hey, The Ramones were great! :P
ReplyDeleteI don't mind The Ramones comparison, really, though I have owned only their compilation and the "Road To Ruin" LP. I quite like them, though I can't claim to be any No. 1 fan. I recently watched the documentary film on them with some interest, however. And they were also influenced by 60s Nuggets-type of garage rock, so I think there's some common ground. It's only all the pathetic copycat bands The Ramones spawned that I could really live without. Especially all those neo-punk bores who still think it's '77 in '06.
ReplyDeleteFor me punk was and is about the idea that you can do your thing even without being a virtuoso or having to practice solos in a cellar ten hours a day. The thing they usually sell these days as "punk" is another boring trad./purist/"authentic" sound that has never evolved in any way whatsoever -- "dadpunk". The Ramones we can both thank and blame for many things.